Gut Healing Chicken Broth Recipe
When restoring your gut, you can help your body by providing it with nourishing foods that contain key ingredients to promote the healing of the intestinal walls and the growth of the ‘good’ bacteria within them. Bone broth is a good starting point. It is soothing, immune boosting, anti-inflammatory and packed with nutrients that are easily absorbed.
Quantity: 1 litre
Prep: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 6-8 hours
Ingredients
- 1 whole organic chicken
- 2 chicken feet (for extra gelatin) (optional)
- 2 litres of filtered water
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar with the ‘mother’
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1 large onion
- 3 chopped celery stalks
- 2.5 cm knob of grated fresh ginger
- ½ tsp ground turmeric or grated fresh turmeric
- 1 bunch of Italian parsley around 100 g
- 2 crush garlic cloves
Directions
Put the chicken into a large stainless steel stockpot, including the chicken feet if available. Pour in the water, vinegar and lemon juice. Add the onion, garlic, celery, ginger, turmeric and salt and season generously with ground black pepper.
Bring to the boil over a medium heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the top. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and simmer for around two hours.
Take off the heat and remove the chicken. Place in a dish and leave to cool. Once it has cooled, take the meat from the bones. The meat can be used for another meal. Return the bones to the pot and simmer for another four to six hours. Check on it occasionally and you can add a little water if needed. After four to six hours, add in the garlic and parsley and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Remove the bone, then strain the broth into airtight containers and refrigerate until the fat congeals on top. The broth will keep in the fridge for up to five days. The fat can be used for cooking. You can also freeze the broth for up to three months.
Nutritional Benefits
Bone broth contains the best source of natural collagen, which supports our connective tissue, muscle and skin. It also contains amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. Its mineral content is also important for healthy circulation, bone density, heart and digestive health.
Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory. It helps to soothe the gut, improves digestion and increases the production of enzymes that break down our foods. Turmeric also has antibacterial properties, which is useful when trying to rid your system of the ‘bad’ bacteria. It can be added to a variety of foods and is quite palatable. Add in black pepper to increase its absorption. You can also heat it with coconut milk, which releases it active anti-inflammatory ingredient, curcumin.
Ginger is anti-inflammatory and promotes good digestion. It is also anti-fungal, blocks bacterial infections and has many other functions.
